The Ravens had their third joint practice of training camp, this time against the Washington Commanders, and one theme has consistently emerged.
Baltimore's defense is going to be tough to tangle with.
The Ravens' starters and second-teamers dominated against another talented offense, this time led by Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels and a talented wide receiver group.
Here are notes from practice:
Defensive Notes
- Daniels and Washington backup quarterback Sam Hartman were under constant pressure, threw into tight or closed windows often, and were relegated to checkdowns on a few occasions. Washington's running backs, meanwhile, didn't have many open running lanes to hit.
- In 7-on-7 in the red zone, Baltimore's first-team defense stood tall. Safety Kyle Hamilton made the best play of the period with a twisting one-handed pass breakup on a throw from Daniels.
- In 11-on-11 in the red zone, Baltimore stuffed a run, then gave up two short passes before defensive tackle Broderick Washington Jr. stuffed Commanders rookie running back Robert Henry Jr. Moments later, safety Keondre Jackson forced a fumble by Henry that was recovered by the Commanders. Jackson received a dap from Head Coach Jesse Minter afterward.
- The first team came back on the field and tallied its best sequence of practice. Daniels struggled to pick up a low snap, then fired a throw off his back foot into the end zone that was picked off by Hamilton.
- On the next play, defensive lineman Calais Campbell broke up a pass at the line of scrimmage, which was immediately followed cornerback Marlon Humphrey causing an incompletion on a slant to Commanders wideout Terry McLaurin.
- The highlights continued in 11-on-11 outside of the red zone. Humphrey blew up a wide receiver screen to the left, and rookie defensive lineman Rayshaun Benny broke up a Daniels pass at the line of scrimmage. After cornerback Nate Wiggins quashed a swing pass to Commanders wideout Stefon Diggs, inside linebacker Roquan Smith tallied consecutive stops at the line of scrimmage on a checkdown and an inside handoff, respectively.
- Outside linebacker Trey Hendrickson blew past Commanders offensive tackle Brandon Coleman for multiple would-be sacks. Hendrickson also beat Coleman handily in a one-on-one rep earlier in practice.
- Outside linebacker Kaimon Rucker and cornerback T.J. Tampa also got to the quarterback untouched for "sacks." Defensive lineman Aeneas Peebles muscled past Commanders rookie guard Tanoa Togiai for a "sack" on Hartman.
- In addition to his red zone successes, Hamilton had a run stuff and pass breakup outside of the red zone during 11-on-11.
- Washington's offensive line struggled with penalties, as they were called for multiple false starts and holdings.
- Not all went wrong for Washington's offense, as Daniels connected with McLaurin and Diggs over the short and intermediate parts of the field a few times.
Offensive Notes
- With Zay Flowers sidelined by what Minter called a "minor thing," fellow wide receiver Rashod Bateman had arguably the best day of any Ravens offensive player, consistently getting open with nifty route-running and that most often gave Commanders cornerback Amik Robertson fits. Bateman ran a stop route for about a 20-yard gain against Robertson. He also had a 10-yard gain on that same series and picked up a nice chunk on a wide receiver bubble later in practice. Regardless of whether it was 1-on-1s, 7s, or 11-on-11, Bateman was getting open for what was arguably his best practice of training camp.
- Rookie wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane made another impressive catch, this time full extension as he ran across the middle of the field. Lane also went high to haul in a touchdown during 7-on-7 red-zone drills. After practice, Lamar Jackson compared Lane's catching abilities to all-time greats and former Ravens Odell Beckham Jr. and DeAndre Hopkins.
- The offensive play of the day was a 62-yard touchdown from Jackson to Devontez Walker, who leapt to make the catch over the middle in zone coverage and then outran the rest of the Commanders secondary for a touchdown down the sideline. Walker continues to show how dangerous he can be when he catches the ball in the open field.
- The Ravens worked hard on their ground game for much of practice and Derrick Henry popped what looked to be a couple touchdown runs. Justice Hill also caught a slant for a touchdown during 11-on-11 work in the red-zone.
- The Ravens' strong game helped set up play-action success later in practice. Jackson found rookie wide receiver Elijah Sarratt and tight end Mark Andrews for 15-yard gains off play-action.
- Center Ethan Pocic was flagged for a couple penalties on the day as the competition for starting center heats up between him and Jovaughn Gwyn. The Ravens' pass protection was a problem at times again, but the Commanders' pass rush didn't give Baltimore as many problems as the Vikings' last week.
Special Teams Notes
- Tyler Loop went 5-for-7 on his field goal attempts. He connected from 33, 37, 45, 49 and 53 yards but missed wide right from 41 and 60 yards.
End-of-Game Simulation
After the two teams had been split throughout practice, everyone gathered on one field, as both teams' first units would have one last drive with all eyes on them. It was a game-winning scenario, as both offenses were given the ball at the 25-yard line with 45 seconds left, trailing by four points and needing a touchdown to "win".
- Baltimore's first-team offense moved the ball to the 11-yard line after Jackson, under heavy duress, found Hill in the flats with a jump pass. But on fourth-and-6 from the 11-yard line, Jackson targeted LaJohntay Wester on a fade to the end zone that was intercepted by Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil.
- The Commanders' offense looked on its way to a similarly unsuccessful fate. The drive started with pressure from outside linebacker Tavius Robinson, forcing Daniels to throw the ball away. A short pass over the middle would have resulted in a huge hit by Smith. Then under pressure by Hendrickson, Daniels threw a pass into no man's land past a diving Malaki Starks. That was followed by a Washington false start, making it fourth-and-10 from the Ravens' 30-yard line.
- Minter sent a blitz off both edges at Daniels. Cornerback Keyon Martin or Hamilton likely would've had a sack if it were an actual game or, at the very least, a quarterback hit. Nevertheless, Daniels backpedaled and lofted a pass to Commanders rookie wideout Antonio Williams, who got past safety Jaylinn Hawkins and reeled in a touchdown that caused Washington's sideline to spill onto the field in celebration while the Ravens defense wanted it scored as a sack. That was the last play of practice.
